“Yaaaaa!” There was a happy cry and Yongguk looked up to see Himjong charging at him. “Uncle Gukkie!” he squealed and toppled into his favorite uncle. Yongguk let out an oomph and smiled.

            “What’s up little man? Where are your parents?”

            He looked up at Yongguk seriously and placed a finger on his lips. “Shh, mommy says that I have to be quiet and be good while I wait for Yongwon. Is he really sick?”

            Yongguk laughed and shook his head. “Nope, he just caught a little cold and a fever. Do you want to keep me company while we wait?” The little boy nodded eagerly and pointed at the piles of toys that the hospital has to keep the children entertained.

            Himjong ran to the hula hoops and pushed two towards Yongguk. “Let’s have a battle! No cheating and no letting me win.” He wagged his finger sternly. “Daddy always pretends to mess up and then when I win, it’s not really winning.”

            Yongguk ruffled the boy’s hair. “You’re going to be a good sport when you grow up. Alright. I won’t go easy on you if you insist.”

            Himjong clapped happily and picked up the smaller hula hoop. “Ready, set, go!” The two of them started at the same time and Yongguk took it slow. The hula hoop was a bit too small and he was fighting to keep the light plastic around his waist. Other kids started to pile in with their parents and he could feel himself blush.

            They were pointing at him and the parents were smiling. Himjong started to rotate his hips faster and faster, his face straining with concentration as he kept the hoop going. Yongguk saw him wilt and collapse on the floor in a heap of exhaustion.

            Yongguk started to stop but Himjong shook his head. “No! I want to see how long you can go!” It was a bit embarrassing as the kids all sat in a row and watched him. Yongguk put on a burst of speed and continued in determination. He had kids to impress.

            His watching audience began to clap as they counted the number of rotations he had done. “Five hundred! Five hundred and three! Five hundred and two!”

            “No, stupid, two comes before three!” A boy with glasses stood and shouted.

            The entire room collapsed into chaos and their parents tried to calm them down.

            Yongguk cleared his throat. “Alright, let’s count together. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten,” he started counting to a beat and they chanted along with him.

            Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his wife turn the corner. He moved his feet slowly to turn and look at her. She was smiling and clapping with the beat and he mouthed, “Is he okay?”

            She flashed him a thumbs up and Yongguk dawdled back to his audience. “How many did I do?”

            “Fifty!” they shouted back at him.

            He raised his hands and pretended to conduct a chorus as they shouted out the numbers. In the middle of six hundred and eighteen, however, there was an obstacle that came barreling Yongguk’s way.

            “Watch out!” a girl cried at the same time Himjong screamed, “Yongwon!”

            Two arms wrapped around Yongguk’s waist and the hula hoop fell to the floor, much to the disappointment of the watching kids. “Daddy!” His son hugged him tightly and Yongguk bent to pick him up.

            “How was the doctor?” he asked.

            Yongwon gave his father a high five. “He said that my tonsils are swollen and that my nose is stuffy. He also said to wear more clothes and then he gave me orange flavored medicine. At first I didn’t want to eat anything but he said it tastes good.”

            Yongguk laughed and squatted back down so Yongwon could meet the other kids. “They were counting how many hula hoops I could do. Himjong is also here.”

            Yongwon caught sight of his best friend and strained to be released. The two boys rushed and tackled each other and Yongguk warned, “Be careful not to get Himjong sick.”

            A shy girl went up to Yongguk and picked up the hula hoop. “You’re such a good dad. My dad would never play with me like this.”

            Yongguk looked at her mother uncomfortably and the woman shrugged in defeat. “My husband isn’t one for letting loose.”

            Yongguk looked at his wife who gave him a nod. He turned to the girl and held out another hoop. “Well since my son’s currently occupied and you don’t have to go in yet, do you want to have a contest with me?”

            The girl glanced back at her mom and after getting the affirmation nodded eagerly. “Yes, please, ahjussi.”

            Yongguk moved away from the other children to give them both room. “What’s your name?”

            “Minah.”

            “Alright Minah. Ready, set, go!”

because being a good father doesn't mean just being good to your own kids ♥